Gun sling



Jan. 21, 1969 D. F. LYONS 3,422,497

GUN SLING Filed June 12, 1967 INVENTOR DONALD F. LYONS ATTORNEYS KM MM United States Patent O 3,422,497 GUN SLING Donald F. Lyons, Madison, Wis., assignor of one-half to Steve F. Varesi, Madison, Wis. Filed June 12, 1967, Ser. No. 645,206 U.S. Cl. 24-3 Int. Cl. F41c 29/00; A45f 5/00 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention pertains to the field of gun slings and more particularly to slings suspended at the waist of the wearer for carrying shoulder weapons such as rifles and shotguns.

Description of the prior art Hunters, military personnehprison guards, and others armed with shoulder weapons such as rifles and shotguns frequently have to stand or walk for long periods of time with their weapons immediately available for firing. For instance, a deer hunter on a stand must remain substantially motionless until draw the attention of pheasants, and other game walk for long periods be swung onto a flushing bird. The problem is accentuated for military personnel where the need to have the weapon readily available is frequently coupled with the need to maintain a military bearing. Where the shoulder weapon must be maintained in this ready position for long periods of time, fatigue, restlessness, and ultimately, carelessness result.

Many gun slings have been developed over the years, but they have generally been relatively complex structurally and therefore too expensive. Furthermore, they either hold the gun so tightly that they interfere with the rapid shouldering of the gun for firing or they hold it so loosely that the gun can accidently slip out of the sling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention comprises a structurally simple and inexpensive sling for carrying shoulder weapons such as rifles and shotguns. The sling is adapted to be suspended from the belt of the wearer and releasably grips the stock of the shotgun or rifle for supporting same in a substantially upright and non-firing position. The weight of the supported weapon causes the flexible sling to collapse against and securely hold the stock of the weapon. When the weight of the weapon is lifted from the sling, the sling flexes outwardly releasing the stock. Since the weapon must be lifted slightly in order to release the gripping action of the sling to facilitate removal of the weapon, the weapon cannot accidentally fall out of the sling. The use of my gun sling prevents arm weariness which is common among hunters toward the end of the hunting day and therefore it permits the same fast, accurate shooting at the the deer. When hunting partridge, birds the hunter must often he is ready to fire so as not to with his shotgun in position ready to 3,422,497 Patented Jan. 21, 1969 'ice end of the day as the hunter is capable of when he is fresh at the beginning of the day.

The sling is also extremely important from a safety standpoint in that it greatly reduces the possibility of accidentally dropping and discharging the weapon. The probability of such an accident, of course, is greatest when a hunter is tired and therefore tends to get somewhat careless.

The flexibility of the sling permits the weapon to be swung forwardly or to either side while it is supported in the sling so as not to restrict the wearers manuverability.

Further objects, features and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of my invention has been selected for exemplification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a side view showing the sling in a typical weapon supporting position.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side view showing the stock of a shoulder weapon being supported in the sling.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the sling in the shape in which it is molded.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, my novel gun sling 10 is shown generally at FIGURE 1 wherein it is suspended from the belt 20 of the wearer for supporting the stock 21 of a shoulder weapon 22 such as a rifle or shotgun.

As best shown in FIGURE 4 of the drawings, my sling 10 basically has a generally U-shaped portion comprising a pair of side sections 11 and 12 connected together at their lower ends by an arcuate end section 13. The upper ends of the side sections 11 and 12 have looped portions 14 and 15 formed thereon for suspending the sling from the belt of the wearer. As shown in FIGURE 4, the looped portions 14 and 15 are flat so that the loop openings normally face forward. However, as shown in FIGURES 1-3, in use the loop portions 14 and 15 are twisted forwardly so that the loop openings face to the side and are aligned for receiving the belt 20 from which the sling is suspended.

A cross-member 16 is connected to the side sections 11 and 12 of the sling near their lower ends for supporting the butt-end 21a of the gun stock 21.

The sling 10 may be made of any of a number of materials which have the desired qualities of flexibility and strength. For example, such materials as plastic, rayon, nylon, and other synthetic materials are suitable. The materials should preferably retain their strength and general flexibility within normal outdoor temperature ranges.

The preferred embodiment shown in the drawings is molded as :a unitary plastic piece. This construction, while not exclusive, is preferred because it has the advantages of simplicity and economy in manufacture.

The length of the sling 10 is an important factor in the proper functioning of the sling. Generally the sling should be of such a length that it will hold the gun stock 21 snugly against the body of the wearer so that the gun will be securely and safely supported; however, it should not be held so tightly against the body that it will be uncomfortable for the wearer or hamper the easy and quick withdrawal of the weapon for firing. If the sling is too long, the gun stock 21 will be supported too low and will bear against the thigh of the wearer and will therefore cause a bouncing motion while walking. In addition,

view taken along line 3-3 if the gun hits against the leg during walking, it may be uncomfortable for the wearer. The gun stock 21 should bear against the groin area of the body immediately below the belt.

The size of the butt-plate of the stock of most rifles and shotguns is fairly standard generally being about 4 /2 to 5 inches in length and 1 /2 to 1% inches thick. Accordingly, to accommodate most guns, my Sling should have a length of about 5 /2 to 6 inches to insure proper snugness and positioning of the gun stock against the groin area of the wearer.

As shown in FIGURE 1, when the butt end of the stock is properly positioned, the barrel of the gun will extend well above the wearers head. This is important from a safety standpoint should the gun for some reason be accidentally fired while in the sling. If the hunter should slip, stumble or fall, the barrel of the gun will always remain beyond the hunters head and other extremities of the body, regardless of whether he falls forward, backward or to the side.

The flexibility of the sling is an important feature since it enables the gun to be slung forwardly or to either side while supported in the sling whereby it will not restrict the wearers manuverability in any way.

The flexibility of the sling is important for another reason. As can best be seen in FIGURES 1-3, the pressure of the gun against the end section 13 and cross-member 16 causes the side sections 11 and 12 to be moved inwardly into engagement against the sides of the gun stock thereby tightly gripping the stock. This als prevents the gun stock from twisting to the right or left and keeps it in a perpendicular position in relation to the body of the wearer as best shown in FIGURE 3. It is important that the gun remain in this substantially perpendicular relationship with the body, since the gun cannot then accidentally fall out of the rear of the sling because it will be held therein by the body of the wearer.

The weight of the gun causes the side sections 11 and 12 to snugly grip the sides of the stock. As the weight of the gun is lifted from the sling for firing, the gripping action is released to facilitate quick shouldering of the weapon. The relief of pressure from the arcuate end section 13 and the cross-member 16 allows the side sections to open up and the looped portions which have been twisted inwardly to a forward extending position as shown in FIGURE 3 end to flex outwardly toward their natural position shown in FIGURE 4 thereby opening the sling for unrestricted release of the weapon.

My novel gun sling is extremely safe and effective since the gun must always be lifted slightly in order to release the gripping action of the sling and, therefore, prevents the gun from accidentally slipping out of the sling.

When the gun has been removed from the sling, the sling will hang downwardly against the body so as not to interfore in any way with the movement of the wearer.

I claim:

1. A flexible sling for supporting shoulder weapons in an upright non-firing position, said sling comprising:

(a) a generally U-shaped portion having a pair of side sections for engaging the sides of the stock of the shoulder weapon, said side sections having upper and lower ends, the lower ends of said side sections being connected by an end section for engaging the bottom side of the stock of the shoulder weapon near the butt end thereof,

(b) attaching means at the upper ends of said side sections for suspending said U-shaped portion from the belt of the wearer, and

(c) a flexible cross-member connecting said side sections for supporting the butt end of the stock of said weapon whereby the weight of said weapon in the sling causes the side sections of said -U-shaped portion to grip the stock of the weapon therebetween.

2. The sling as specified in claim 1 wherein said attaching means comprise looped portions for receiving a belt therethrough, said looped portions being free to move laterally toward and away from each other on said belt.

3. The sling as specified in claim 2 wherein said looped portions are twisted inwardly into alignment for receiving the belt therethrough whereby said sling tends to flex outwardly when the weight of said weapon is lifted from said sling to facilitate quick release of the weapon.

4. The sling as specified in claim 1 wherein said sling comprises a unitary piece of flexible plastic.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,469,285 10/1923 Thompson 224-1 2,828,058 3/1958 Arpin 224-1 2,835,944 5/1958 Johnston 243 3,182,871 5/1965 Gossler 224-1 DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 224-1 

